AT&T's Galaxy Tab 8.9 receives ICS update, but only via Kies

Remember Android 3.0 Honeycomb? Well, if you have an AT&T-branded Galaxy Tab 8.9 (SGH-i957) you're likely all too familiar with the software. Fortunately, AT&T and Samsung are ready to bring you an update to Ice Cream Sandwich today, which is long overdue even when compared to the other models of the Tab 8.9. AT&T's variant will sadly only be updated via Samsung's Kies desktop software, however. There's no indication at this point that an OTA is coming either.

A quick bit of warning for those updating, several different settings and apps will be reset in the update. Samsung's support documentation indicates that homescreen placements will be reset, contacts stored on the device may be erased and the music app's playlists and settings will also be reset to default.

We really wish that AT&T would just push these updates OTA. Most people won't have Kies installed or want to go through the trouble to install the update manually in this manor. We saw this same scenario with the recent Jelly Bean update for the Galaxy SIII (S3), and we just don't care for it.

The only thing that makes any sense to me is that an OTA update on AT&T would bring their network to its knees. With this issue being so prominent, I'm surprised nobody (tech journalist) has reported on the cause.

Amazing tablet. I just got the Galaxy Tab, and it exceeded my expectations. I work as a graphic artist in Austin, and this device has become my constant companion. I can draft designs on the vibrant display and then mail them to my customers over AT&T's 4G LTE network. And the price is a plus.